Remote control for stop clocks



Dec. 12, 1944. E. J. LASSJEUR REMOTE CONTROL FOR STOP CLOCKS Filed Dec. 29, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR [DUFF/V5 7: M65156 Dec. 12,1944. ssnzu I 2,364,856

REMOTE CONTROL FOR STOP CLOCK$ Filed Dec. 29, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EUGENE'JT Lflfs/Edf BY 1 ATTORNEY I Dec. 12, 1944. E. J. LASSIEUR REMOTE CONTROL FOR STOP CLOCKS Filed Dec. 29, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 dull INVENTOR E JFE/VE JTAIJF/EI/E ATTORNEY,

Patented Dec. 12, 1944 REMOTE CONTROflFOR STOP CLOCKS" Eugene J. Lassieur, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to Bulova Watch Company, New York, N. Y; a. corporation. of New York Application December 29, 1942;. Serial No.-4'l0;478

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in stop clocks and particularly to the'controlthereof.

The use of stop clocks is well known and one specific and important use of such device is on the instrument boards of airplanes.

The need of a stop-clock is, of course,- obvious since the measure of the time element in performance of duty is essential.

The usual practice is to mounta clock of this type in an appropriate position on the instrument board of a plane. The great number of control instruments required on the instrument board makes it difilcult'to dispose of all instruments in convenient reach of the pilot. Naturally the most important instruments are arranged in the most accessible positions. The stop clock being of relatively less importance than other instruments is usually placed in a less convenient location and it has been proposedto I The present invention eliminates the manyelements needed for this electrical control by providing a direct mechanical control makingavailable to'the operator a simple device conveniently locatedv for controlling the operation of the clock.

This is accomplished by providing a novel form of flexible cable such as used on cameras and known as a cable release including a flexible wire enclosed in a flexible casing. One end of thewire is, by means of the present novel arrangement, associated with the clock control elements in such. manner that the operator may start, stop and reset the clock by means of a push butt6n conveniently disposed for the operators convenience.

The importance of the present simplified remote clock control resides not only in the simplifiedconstruction and a minimum of operating parts, but in the positiveness of operation, the absence of detail adjustments and in the provision of a rugged and effective operativearrangement capable-of positive operation under extreme shocks orders which is obviously desirable and necessary in a device of the present type whenused as an important part of an airplane. I

The invention will be more fully understood by referring to thefollowing description together withthe-accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a-portion of an instrument board of an airplane with the presentinvention on the instrument board;

Fig. 2 is a view of theface of astop' clock to which the presentinvention is applied.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional'view of the clock taken on line III -III in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the usual control pin as provided with stop clocks;

Fig. 5 is a view taken on line V1-V in Fig. 3.;

Fig. 6 is a View taken on line VIVI in Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 is a view taken on line VII-VII in Fig. 3.

The present embodiment of the invention includes a casing l0 having the usual second dial face II and sweep handl2, also a minutedial l3 with a pointer or hand M. The second hand I2 is carried on a shaft I5 as shown in Fig, 5 while the minute hand [4 ismountedon a shaft Hi. The shafts l5 and I6 have reset cams l1 and I8 respectively which are of the usual form in this type of stop clock and'need no further description.

The clock mechanism indicated as a whole by the numeral 20 is positioned in an internal casing 2|. This mechanism (see Fig. 5) is well known in this type of clock or-watch and'includes a master control operating lever 22 which starts, stops and resets all the hands on the dials. For thepurpose of keeping the lever 22 in its lifted position it is provided with a pin 22 attached to the free end of a spring member 22" having its other end anchored at 23'. This operating lever 22 has a pin 23 integral therewith and extending into position'to engage what may be termed a primary actuating lever 24- (see Fig. 6) which lever is pivoted at 25 and is provided with an extension 2t.

As pointed out above the operating mechanism of this type of device is well known andthe invention resides in a new arrangement of control which comprises elements enabling the device to be started, stopped-and reset either by direct control means of the usual push button or rod 21 or by remote control through the agency of a cablerelease indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 28.

The direct control mechanism (see Figs. 3 and 4) isoperated 'bymeans of the push rod 21 and includes-a shaft 29- having an end-bearing 3B and an intermediate bearing 31, the bearing-3l provides an hermetic seal for the movable shaft 29 which is normally urged-outwardly by a spring 32. The shaft 29 has a squared portion disposed-irr- -a= square -s1ot--in==a hub --3| of a -conlcal member 35 provided with a tooth periphery 36 to provide a gear for engagement with gear 31 which controls the Winding mechanism of a clock. The push rod 21 in addition to its function of serving as means for winding the clock is by reason of its slidability operable to start, stop and reset the clock. Disposed on the shaft 29 is what may be termed a conical hub 38 which is forced against shoulder 39 by means of the spring 32. The rod 2! may therefore be moved endwise so that the conical hub engages one end 40 of what may be termed a direct control aotuating lever 4| pivoted at 42 (see Fig. 6). The other end 43 of the lever 4| engages extension 26 of lever 24. The engagement of the said lever 4| with the extension 26 maintains the lever 24 in engagement with the pin 23-.

As shown in Fig. 4 an inward movement of the push rod 2! causes the end 40 of the lever 4| to ride up the conical member 38 thereby actuating the lever 4| causing it to engage the extension .26 and move the lever 24 to shift the position of the pin 23 as indicated by arrow X. This movement starts the clock.

The push rod is then released and returns to its outer position by reason of spring 32. A second inward movement of the push rod stops the clock whereupon the push rod again returns to its outer position. Finally a third inward movement of the push rod resets the hands on the dials.

The foregoing gives a general description of the regular operation of the present type of device and as pointed out above, the present invention provides for the remote control of the clock to accomplish the operations of the lever 24. This operation is effective by means of the cable release 28 which includes a flexible sheath 44 through which a flexible cable 45 controlled by thumb button 45 at one end and having at the other end a push member 4'! which engages one end 48 of what may be termed a remote control actuating lever 49 pivoted on shaft 50 which also carries a pawl having one end engaged with lever 24. The cable 28 extends through the casing and is fastened at 52 by means of an adjustable screw clamp 53 (see Fig. 7). The clamp 53 provides means whereby the position of the anchored end of the cable may be adjusted so that the push member 41 can be adjusted with respect to the remote con trol lever 49.

It will be evident, therefore, that when pressure is exerted against the thumb piece 46 on the cable 45 the push member will engage the lever 49 causing the pawl 5| to rock the lever 24 and move the pin 23 thereby starting the clock. A release of the cable 46 permits it to move to its outer position by reason of the cable spring as usually provided in the casing 54 of the cable release member 28.

When it is desired to stop the clock the cable is again moved inwardly to cause the push member to rock the shaft 50 and a release of the cable again returns it to its outer position ready to be moved to again rock the shaft 50 to reset'the clock. It will be evident that in accordance with the present construction the same operating lever is usable in connection with either the direct control or the remote control. This is accomplished by reason of the fact that in the direct control the lever 24 is moved by a force directed to an extension opposite to the force supplied when remote control is employed.

Thus when the remote control is practiced to move the operating lever 24 the extension 26 moves away from the direct control operating lever 4| whereas when lever 4| is operated the lever 24 moves away from the operating pawl 5| of the remote control.

I claim:

1. In a stop clock having a second hand and a minute hand, mechanism for moving said hands, a master control operating lever for starting, stopping and re-setting said hands, a primary actuating lever, a pivot for said primary lever intermediate the ends thereof, one arm of said primary lever disposed to engage said master lever, a remote control actuating lever engageable with one arm of said primary lever to actuate said master lever and a direct control actuating lever engageable with said primary lever to move said arm away from engagement with said remote control lever to actuate said master lever.

2. In a stop clock having a second hand and a minute hand, mechanism for moving said hands, a master control operating lever for starting, stopping and re-setting said hands, a primary actuating lever pivoted intermediate the ends thereof with one end engageable with said master control operating lever to cause operation of the latter upon rotation of said primary actuating lever about its pivot in one direction, a remote control actuating lever in frictional engagement with one end of said primary actuating lever on the side opposite to said master control operating lever to cause rotation of said primary actuating lever and attendant operation of said master control operating lever, and a direct control actuating lever in frictional engagement with the other end of said primary actuating lever on the side thereof opposite to that of said remote control actuating lever to cause rotation of said primary actuating lever about its pivot and disengagement thereof from said remote control actuating lever with attendant operation of said master control operating lever.

3. In a stop clock having a second hand and a minute hand, mechanism for moving said hands,

, a master control operating lever for starting,

stopping, and re-setting said hands, a primary actuating lever pivoted intermediate the ends thereof with one end engageable with said master control operating lever to cause operation of the latter upon rotation of said primary actuating lever about its pivot in one direction, a remote control actuating lever pivoted intermediate its ends with one end thereof in frictional engagement with the same end of said primary actuating lever as that of said master control operating lever but on the side opposite thereto to limit rotation of said primary actuating lever in one direction and to cause rotation of the latter in the opposite direction'with' attendant operation of said master control operating lever upon the application of a force to the opposite end of said remote control actuating lever, and a direct control actuating lever pivoted intermediate its ends with one end engageable with the other end of said primary actuating lever on the same side of the latter as said master control operating lever to cause rotation of said primary control actuating lever about its pivot in a direction away from the engaging end of said remote control actuating lever with attendant operation of said master control operating lever upon the application of a force to the other end of said direct control actuating lever.

EUGENE J. LASSIEUR. 

